Envelop-machine.



W. E. SWIFT.

ENVELOP MACHSNE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. I7, 1916.

1,282,814,, Patented 0m. 22, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

W. E. SWIFT.

ENVELOP MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. II, 1916.

1,282,314., Patented Oct. 22, 1918,

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

I? Y] 30 4 35 I [I a 36 N a IgZOz'ney a. no.

WILLARD E. SWIFT, 0F WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED STATES ENVELOPE COMPANY, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, A' CORPORATION OF MAINE.

Be it knownthat I, WILLARD E. SWIFT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Worcester, in the county of Worcester and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in an I Envelop-Machine, of which the following,

together with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

My present invention relates to an envelop machine for making what are known as window envelops, or envelops havingan opening covered by a transparent patch for the purpose of disclosing an address on the inclosure, and-it relates particularly to the mech anism for applying a patch -to cover the opening in an envelop blank. The mechanism by which this result is accomplished is herein described and illustrated in the ac companying drawings, the novel features be ing pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

' Figure 1 is a side view of so much of an envelop machine as isnecessary to illustrate the nature of my present invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the patch applying mechanism.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the patch applying mechanism, shown in section and upon a larger scale.

Fig. 4 is an elevatiton of the roller for applying gum to the transparent patch.

Fig. .5 is an elevation of the guideway through which the gummed patch is conducted to the patch applying mechanism.

Fig. 6 represents a blank having an opening therein covered by a transparent patch,

the blank being shown i its extended form preparatory to the operation of folding.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in the different figures.

Referring to Fig. 1, 1 denotes the framework of an envelop machine, 2 denotes a table for supporting a stack 3 of envelop blanks, said table having an upward movement as the blanks are bein removed therefrom by the operation ofg'le machine, for the purpose of maintaining the topmost blank insubstantially the same horizontal The table moving mechanism, howeveg, is not shown as it 'is a common device in envelop machines of this class and its operation will be well understood. In the operation of theordinary envelop machine emplane.

Specification of Letters Patent.

ENVELOP-MACHINE.

Patented Oct. 22, 1918.

Application filed February 17, 1916. Serial No. 79,002.

ploying a feed table 2, the flaps of the blank aregummed while they rest upon the feed table and the blanks are then transferred by a reciprocating carriage to the folding mechanism.

In my improved feed table 2 for supporting a pile of-blanks having an opening 4 in, the body portion of to the desired length of'the patch, is conducted beneath a floating roll 10, capable of a rising and falling motion within a slot 11, in order to take up any slack in the strip 9, thence over a roll 12 journaled in fixed bearings in the framework of the machine and between the rolls 13 and 14. The roll 13 is intermittently rotated by a pawl and ratchet mechanism 15, Fig.2, said pawl and ratchet mechanism being actuatedb av suitable cam through a push rod 16. he transparent strip 9 is pinched between the' roll 13 and the.

raised ends 17, 17 of the roll 14. At each intermittent movement of the roll 13, a suffimachine I employ the,

cient length of the transparent strip withdrawn from the roll 7 to form one of the patches to be applied to the enyelop blank.

The roll 14 is provided on its periphery with gumming dies 18, divided by gaps 19,

in order tointerrupt the line of gum applied to the strip 9 by the gumming dies.

The gumming dies 18 are arranged to apply broken lines of gum to the strip 9 ina contour corresponding to the margin around the opening 4 in the envelop blank, the I spaces corresponding to the gaps 19 being ungummed. Gum is supplied to the dies18 from a gumming roller 20, rotating in contact with a body of gum 21 held in a gum pan or box 22, the gum bein transferred from the roller 20 to the gumming dies by an intermediate roller 23.

The transparent strip 9 as it leaves the rolls 13 and 14 is projected through a guideway 24, and, in its passage through the 'guideway 24, it is supported by the ribs 25 which contact with that portion of the strip left ungummed by the gaps 19. Fromthe the guideway 24 to sever the transparent strip during the downward movement of the presser foot 26. An air passage 29 has an open end at the presser foot and communicates through a flexible pipe 30 with an air pump, not shown, which serves at the proper moment to exhaust -air from the passage 29 and cause the adhesion of the projected end ofthe transparent strip to the presser foot.

The'downward movement of the presser foot 26 cuts off a patch from the transparent strip, which is held upon the presser foot by suction until it is carried down into contact with-the topmost blank in the stack 3. The presser foot slides in fixed ways in the framework of the machine and the stack 3 of blanks is maintained by the gage pins 31, with the opening 4 in the blank in registration with the descending patch held upon the presserfoot 2 6.

-As the patch is applied to the topmost blank in the stack, the valve stem 32 con tacts with the stop 33 and is forced upwardly against the tension of .a spiral spring 34 to lift the valve 35 from its seat, to close the pipe 30 and admit air through the opening 36 to the air passage 29, thereby releasing the patch which adheres to the envelop blank as the presser foot 26 rises. The' presser foot 26 isprovided with an arm 37 -which carries a suction tube 38 connected by a flexible pipe 39 with an air-pump, not shown The downward movement. of the presser foot 26 carries the tube 38 into contact with the topmost blank of the stack 3 and, at that moment, air is exhausted from the suction tube 38, causing the topmost blank to be lifted by one edge from the' stack 3. As the-suction tube 38 rises, a

valve 40 is pushed in by its contact with the inclined surface 41 against the tension of a spiral spring 42, thereby closing the com-' munication between the tube 38 and the flexible pipe 39 and connecting the tube 38 with an air opening 43, which causesthe re- -lease of the raised envelop blank.

While one edge of the topmost blank is held in its raised position. by the suction tube 38, a reciprocating carriage 44, Fig. 1, slides between the raised blank and the stack 3,

' actuated by an eccentric 45 through the swinging lever 46 and link 47. The carriage 44 carries a gripper 48 which seizes the raisedenvelop blank and, on its rearward motion, draws it beneath retaining pawls 49 where it is engaged by hooks 50 and moved rearward at the -next reciprocation of the carriage beneath the retaining pawls 51,

where it rests upon a table 52 during the next forwardmovement of the carriage 44.

spindle 58.

ing bed, where its flaps are folded by hinged folders 55.

The mechanism for transferring the blank from the stack 3 to the creasing table 53 is copied from the envelop machine for which Letters Patent were granted to A. A. Rheutan April 16, 1889, No. 401,462. The detail mechanism for operating the reciprocating carriage '44 and gripper 48 is not herein shown nor described as it forms no part of my present invention and is clearly set forth in the aforesaid patent to Rheutan. In my improved machine, however, I provide a table 52 for supporting the envelop blank while it isretained by the pawls 51 and,

during the dwell of the blank upon the table 52, I apply gum to the flaps of the envelop by means of gumming dies 56 and 57 which are carried u on a vertically reciprocating he gumming dies 56 and 57 are supplied with gum by a traversing gumming roll receiving gum at one end of its movement from a gum roll running in agum box 59, in the usual manner in machines of this class.

It has been proposed in the manufacture of window envelops to apply a patch to cover the opening in .the blank between the operations of gumming the flaps of the envelop and folding thesblank. Diificulty is frequently experienced in first gumming the flaps ofthe blank and subsequently subjectoperations necessary in applyinga patchto cover the opening and in folding. the flaps of the blank to form a' completed envelop.

It is one of the objects of'my present improvement to complete the operation for which gum has been applied as soon after the application of gum to the envelop blank as possible, and in the operation of my improved machine forming the subject of this application, I first apply adhesive material to aflix the transparent patch to the blank and as soon as possible thereafter I- apply the patch to cover the opening. a The blank, with no gummed surface exposed, is then transferred to'the flap gumming mechanism and, immediately thereafter, the blank by its next movement is carried upon the creasing table and subjected to the action of the plunger 54 and the hinged flap folders 55. I claim, a 1; In an envelop ,Inachine, the combination of the following instrumentalities arranged for conjoint action in the order named, means for applying gum to a patch,

' blank of said pile,

for applying adhesive material to the flaps of the blank, and means for folding the blank.

2. In an envelop machine, porting a pile of envelop blanks having openings therein, means for applying a patch to cover the opening in the topmost mechanism for gumming the flaps of the blank, a folding mechanism, and reciprocating means for transferring the topmost blank from the patch applying mechanism to the gumining and folding mechanisms.

3. In an envelop machine, means for supporting a pile of envelop blanks having openings therein, means for applying a patch to cover an opening in the topmost blank in said pile, reciprocating means for transferring the patched blank from the pile of blanks to a gumming mechanism for gumming the flaps, means for'applying adhesive material to the flaps of the blank, a folding mechanism, and reciprocating means for transferring the gummed blank to the folding mechanism.

4. In an envelop machine, tion with flap gumming and fla mechanisms and means envelop blank from the flap gumming mechanism to the flap folding mechanism, of means for applying a patch to the envelo blank to cover an opening therein, sai transferring means being adapted to move the blank from the patch applying mechanism to the flap gumming mechanism.

5. In an envelop machine, a support for an envelop blank having an opening therein, means for applying gum to a trans parent strip, means for severing the strip to form an individual patch, means for applying the gummed patch to cover the opening in the envelop blank, means for gumming the flaps of the blank, means for folding the blank, and means for transferring the blank from the patch nism to the gumming and folding mechanisms successively. 6. In an envelop machine, a support for a pile of envelop blanks having openings therein, means for applying a transparent patch to cover the opening in the topmost blank of the pile, means for moving the topmost blank from the pile of blanks, a supporting table for they are successively moved from the pile, and means for applying adhesive material to the flaps of the blank as it is supported on said table.

7. In an envelop machlne, mechanism for applying a patch to an envelop blank, mechanism for means for transferring the patch applying mechanism the combinafolding blank from the to the folding means for sup- 7 for trans erring an applying mecha-- individual blanks as folding the blank, reciprocatingmechanism with an intervening dwell, and reciprocating mechanism for applying adhesive material to the flaps of the blank during said dwell.

8. In an envelop 'machine, a stationary support for an envelop blank having an opening therein, means for applying a patch to a blank held on said support to cover said opening, a folding mechanism, means for transferring a blank by a step by step movement from said support to said folding mechanism, and means for applying adhesive material to the flaps of the blank between the steps of said transferring mechanism.

'9. In an envelop "machine, a support for a pile of, envelop blanks having openings therein, means for applying a patch to cover the opening in the topmost blank in the pile of blanks, means for raising the topmost blank from the pile of blanks, means for moving the raised blank from the pile of blanks to a folding mechanism with an intervening dwell, means for applying adhesive material to the flaps of the blank during said intervening dwell, and a flap folding mechanism.

10. In an envelop machine, means for supporting a pile of blanks having 0 enings therein, means for feedin the end 0 a continuous strip into a position over the opening in the topmost blank, means for severing the continuous strip, means for applying the severed piece to cover the opening in the topmost blank, means for raising the topmost blank, means for moving the raised blank from the pile of blanks t0 a, folding mechanism with an intervening period of dwell, means for applying adhesive material to the flaps of said blank during its eriod of dwell, and means for folding the lank.

11. In an envelop machine, a support for a blank having an opening therein, a support for a continuous coil of transparent WILLARD E. SWIFT.

Witnesses NELLIE WHALEN, PENELOPE CoMBEnBAon. 

